Xbox 720 is Wii U style gaming tablet?

Another rumour has surfaced suggesting that the next generation Xbox will take the form of a tablet, not the usual under-the-TV console. And it doesn’t sound cheapâ¦

Wii U – is this the inspiration for the Xbox 720?

Yet more rumours point to the next generation Xbox being released as a tablet, rather than a traditional games console. According to Xbox World Magazine the new device ‘will be a matt-black media hub with a mission to bring games to life in your living room with augmented reality, directional sound, and a four-player, finger-tracking Kinect.”That touchcreen will be second only to Kinect in how you operate your console,’ says the mag, via CVG . ‘It could be a remote control when you’re watching TV, a browser when you’re on the internet, extra buttons and information when you’re playing a game or a portable display when you want to take your game with you.’The tablet/controller is described as, ‘an HD screen surrounded by the traditional 360 buttons and sticks.’ The mag even speculates a price of £399, which is obviously much closer to an iPad than a traditional home (or portable) console.

‘Microsoft are playing it safe with the CPU and GPU but running wild with the functions that will change how you play, but it won’t be cheap,’ understates the mag.

The magazine also suggests that the design will be closer to the PS Vita than the Wii U’s ‘bulky unit’, which makes us think they haven’t used either a PS Vita or a Wii U before.Microsoft certainly has though, if these rumours are correct, because all of this sounds remarkably similar to the Wii U. Of course the Wii U isn’t actually a tablet though – the controller looks like one but it still only works when it’s within range of a traditional console stored under your TV.It seems to be implied that the device described in this rumour would be fully portable, but presumably the Kinect sensor at least would be a separate, non-portable piece of hardware sitting in your living room.It’s also worth pointing out though that so far the rumourmill has not had much luck predicting the Xbox 720. Last year most rumours pointed to an unveiling at E3 in June, but this is now thought extremely unlikely, at least in terms of playable hardware – with some analysts even predicting that the new console (or whatever it is) won’t be out until 2014 .